Our Hawaiian Vacation: The Beach, Lunch at the Harbor House, Fishing Trip Preparations and First Sunset

John, Bob and I stayed close to home on days that Dorothy worked. On Dorothy’s days off work we explored more distant places on the Island of Hawaii.

Dorothy was scheduled to work on our second day in Hawaii. While Dorothy was at work, John took Bob and I to several places nearby.

We visited Pine Trees Beach. On our way to the beach we saw this fish farm.

Here is a short video clip that Bob took while I was photographing this fish farm.

Pine Trees Beach is located a couple miles south of the Kona International Airport. The name of the beach is odd, as there are no pine trees on the beach. I read that someone thought that the mangroves growing on the beach were pine trees and the name stuck. Getting to Pine Trees requires a 4WD vehicle. The road, if you want to call it that, is sandy with lots of exposed lava rock. It is a BAD road to drive on, even with a 4WD vehicle!

Pine Trees Beach fishermen

Pine Trees Beach
There were many spots such as this where one could get out of the sun.

Surfing is a favorite pastime at Pine Trees Beach

From Pine Trees Beach we went to the Harbor House for lunch. The Harbor House is located at Honokohau Harbor, 2 miles north of Kona. This restaurant is right on the water. It has outdoor covered seating. According to John, you come to this restaurant for a schooner.

The Harbor House serves its beer in thick, 18-ounce glasses called schooners.
(Photograph obtained from Foodspotting.)

In addition to the schooners that Bob and John drank, we each had burgers and fries. The food was okay. The boys enjoyed their schooners.

After lunch we drove part way up Hualalai Volcano to Jim and Nancy’s house.

Jim and Nancy’s House

Jim is John’s fishing partner. John and Jim share the ownership of a fishing boat. John took us to Jim’s house to introduce us to Jim and Nancy, as well as to help Jim prepare the boat for the next day’s fishing trip. The fishing trip would be Bob’s first experience fishing in the ocean. He was very excited at the prospect of fishing in the ocean.

We picked up Dorothy at 2:30 PM and drove to Costco. This wasn’t the way John had it planned. John’s plan was for Dorothy and me to drop off he and Bob at the Kona Brewery on our way to Costco. Bob and John would enjoy a brew or two, while Dorothy and I shopped for groceries. The brewery was closed for an event, so John and Bob accompanied Dorothy and I to Costco.

Later, while John and Dorothy prepared dinner, Bob and I walked across the street to the ocean front and watched the setting sun. The beautiful setting was made even more beautiful because a man at a nearby hotel sat on the ocean wall and blew on a conch shell, as the sun slipped into the ocean.

15 Responses to “Our Hawaiian Vacation: The Beach, Lunch at the Harbor House, Fishing Trip Preparations and First Sunset”

Thank you, Ram. Thinking back on that sunset, it would have been wonderful had I a tape recorder to record the man blowing into the conch shell. That sound and the sinking sun made for a few magical moments.